Harrison Eugene Havens (December 15, 1837 – August 16, 1916) was an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. Havens was born in

Franklin County, Ohio Franklin County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,323,807, making it the most populous county in Ohio. Most of its land area is taken up by its county seat, Columbus, the state capital and most ...

, and was the Republican Party Representative from

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

from its 4th congressional district in the

42nd United States Congress The 42nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1871, ...

between 1871 and 1873, and from its 6th congressional district in the

43rd United States Congress The 43rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1873, ...

from 1873 to 1875.

Biography

Havens was born in

, on December 15, 1837. He attended the local schools, studied law, was admitted to the bar, and practiced in Ohio before moving to Iowa to practice law and edit the ''Sigourney News'' newspaper. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Havens served as commander of Company H, 47th Iowa Volunteer Infantry with the rank of captain. After the war Havens moved to Illinois, and then to

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...

, where he edited the ''Springfield Patriot'' newspaper in addition to practicing law. In 1870 Havens was elected as a Republican to the Forty-second Congress. He was reelected to the Forty-third Congresses, and served from March 4, 1871 to March 3, 1875. In his second term Havens was chairman of the Committee on Public Expenditures. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1874, and for the

Missouri Senate The Missouri Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 174,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...

in 1878. In 1881 Havens became superintendent of the Springfield & Western Missouri Railway Company. From 1893 to 1894 he served as prosecuting attorney of

Greene County, Missouri Greene County is located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, its population was 298,915. making it the fourth most-populous county in Missouri. Its county seat and most-populous city is Springfield. The county was organized in ...

. Havens subsequently moved to

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

, living first in Guthrie, and then in Enid. He was editor of the ''Enid Eagle'' newspaper, and served as a member of the

Oklahoma Territory The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as th ...

's Legislative Council in the late 1890s, where he was a prominent supporter of the unsuccessful effort to achieve immediate statehood. In the early 1900s Havens moved to

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

where he owned a

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

. He became ill in 1916 and was taken to

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, where he died on August 16. Havens was buried at Colon Cemetery in Havana.

References

1837 births 1916 deaths Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri American emigrants to Cuba 19th-century American legislators Writers from Enid, Oklahoma Politicians from Enid, Oklahoma 19th-century American lawyers Members of the Oklahoma Territorial Legislature {{missouri-politician-stub